1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates, in general, to optical illusions and devices designed to display motion or animation from still images, and, more particularly, to an assembly or apparatus for use in packaging and on consumer and other products for producing images, such as animated images or images appearing to have motion, from a set of interlaced images.
2. Relevant Background
There is an increasing demand for creative packaging to achieve product differentiation and “shelf appeal” to separate one retail product from another. However, as many products become similar in quality in the mind of consumers, there is a concurrent need to remain cost competitive such that consumers do not choose another product simply based on cost. As a result, product differentiation typically needs to be achieved with minimum or even no added cost for a packaged product to be widely adopted by the packaging and retailing industries.
For years, lenticular lenses have been used to produce eye-catching graphics for packaging, displays, stadium cups, postcards, printed goods, and other products (e.g., products for which shelf appeal is important or desired) by facilitating the viewing of “interlaced images.” Elaborate graphics are sometimes produced with lenticular graphic labels using 3-dimensional (3D) and animation. Lenticular lenses are well known for use in optical systems to produce various types of unique optical effects such as animation, e.g., for allowing a viewer to view a short video clip, a portion of an animated cartoon, and the like. Lenticular lens devices generally include a transparent sheet having a planar surface on one side and a series of parallel longitudinal ridges on the other side that have circular surfaces or ribs creating a system of convex lenses or lenticular lenses. An image is typically printed on the planar surface opposite the lenses or a print sheet or medium may be disposed on the planar surface. This image is typically an “interlaced image” that contains a number of alternating image lines or segments. Each set of image segments corresponds to a subset or portion of an image, e.g., each set of spaced apart segments may by a thin slice or portion of a frame of a video clip or frame of a cartoon or the like. The image lines or segments are so optically related with respect to the lenses as to be alternately visible upon positional change of the viewer with respect to the lenses. When viewed from one position, one set of image segments (e.g., one frame of a video clip) are visible so as to display the first composite image or frame. When viewed from a second position, a second set of the image segments in the interlaced image are visible so as to display the second composite picture. This process can be continued to allow a viewer to see each portion or frame present in the interlaced image, e.g., to see a complete video clip.
The production of lenticular lenses is well known and described in detail in a number of U.S. patents, including U.S. Pat. No. 5,967,032 to Bravenec et al., which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. In general, the production process includes selecting segments from visual images to create a desired visual effect and interlacing the segments (i.e., planning the layout of the numerous images to produce the interlaced images). Lenticular lenses or lens sheets are then mapped to the interlaced or planned segments, and the lenticular lenses are fabricated according to this mapping. The lenticular lenses generally include a transparent web that has a flat side or layer and a side with optical ridges and grooves formed by lenticules (i.e., lenses) arranged side-by-side with the lenticules or optical ridges extending parallel to each other the length of the transparent web. To provide the unique visual effects, ink (e.g., four color ink) is applied to or printed directly on the flat side of the transparent web to form a thin ink layer, and this printed image or interlaced image is viewable through the transparent web of optical ridges.
While providing many desirable optical effects, lenticular lens devices have often been limited in their adoption. This may be due to actual added manufacturing or material costs or due to the perception that such devices add cost and are only useful for higher end promotional campaigns (e.g., for use in stadium cups at sporting events) or novelty items. Hence, there remains a need for packaging assemblies, products with graphic display assemblies or elements, and methods of producing labels, other packaging elements, and optical illusion or display devices that provide desirable graphic effects at acceptably low added cost per packaged product or per display device.